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At Rest Less, we’ve spoken to many career changers over the years. And one common thread between their stories is that they left their former career behind for good.
However, later life is a time of exciting and unexpected possibilities – and you might find yourself rediscovering something you thought was in your rearview mirror. Perhaps you’ll get back into a hobby you enjoyed in your youth, revive a connection with an old friend, or, in 60-year-old Ruth Palmer’s case, return to a previous career.
After working in finance throughout the 90s, Ruth retrained as a teacher – a decision that led to a fulfilling, 16-year-long second career in education. But, in 2018, an exciting opportunity arose that sent her back into the banking world.
We spoke to Ruth about how the Lloyds Banking Group returners programme helped her kickstart the third chapter of her career…
“I wanted to spend more time with my kids”
Ruth began her financial career in Eurobond settlements – which involves looking after the sale of bonds – but quickly moved to the trading floor, where she bought and sold bonds for banks as part of their investment portfolio. And, eventually, she secured a coveted role as Head of Dealing.
But, in 2002, after she’d welcomed her first child, Maisy, Ruth decided that the intense world of finance no longer suited her lifestyle.
“I went back to work, but the whole environment just didn’t fit in with having a child,” Ruth says. “Back then, you couldn’t do any of this flexible working, and I wanted to spend more time with my kids.”
However, unwilling to give up on her professional life, Ruth decided to retrain as a teacher, hoping she could spend more time with her family.
“I sort of fell into finance. Where we lived, in Essex, it was very easy to commute to London, and lots of people worked in banks. But, before that, I’d wanted to be a teacher, so I thought, maybe this was my chance.”
“It was only meant to be this little job to keep me busy while I had kids, but it grew from there!”
Never one to take the conventional route, Ruth decided to become a Montessori teacher. Developed in the early 20th century by Italian doctor Maria Montessori, Montessori education is a teaching philosophy that gives children the independence to lead their learning.
Ruth says, “In this country, Montessori schools are mainly pre-schools. So I trained as a nursery teacher – which was perfect because Maisy was two at the time, so everything I learned I could apply to her.
“Once I’d done my qualification, I went to do my work experience at a local nursery, and the owner asked if I wanted to buy it! I said no because I’d only just qualified, but then she asked if I could manage it, so I went straight into that.
“It was only meant to be this little job to keep me busy while I had kids, but it grew from there!”
And grow it did. Over the coming years, Ruth got involved with the Montessori Schools Association and eventually became chair of the region. Following a move to Suffolk in 2006, she also trained as a primary teacher and eventually became a deputy head.
When asked what she enjoyed most about being an educator, Ruth says, “Oh, the children! The fact that I was helping shape their futures and joining in with their successes. That was very exciting!”
“It doesn’t matter how old you are; age isn’t a barrier”
While Ruth clearly enjoyed her time as a teacher, it wasn’t destined to be the final chapter in the tale of her career. Just like she seized the opportunity to fulfil a longtime dream of becoming a teacher when she had her children, Ruth also grasped her next chance with both hands. Funnily enough, this also involved her daughter Maisy…
“When Maisy left college,” Ruth explains, “she wanted to do an apprenticeship instead of going to university – and she thought she might like to go into banking. So I got in touch with some of my old contacts from the city to see if I could help her get an apprenticeship somewhere.”
Ruth connected with one of her former colleagues who now worked for Lloyds Banking Group. As well as telling her about the apprenticeship they offer, he informed her about their returners programme, which is designed to assist people returning to the corporate world after a career break or time spent working in another industry.
Ruth says, “I hadn’t heard of the returners scheme before and never dreamt I would go back to working in a corporate environment. But, I thought, I could do that! It sounded like a really good opportunity to do something different. It just felt right.
“I’d also just separated from my husband and wanted to re-establish my financial security and independence. Plus, I wanted to show my children that it doesn’t matter how old you are; age isn’t a barrier to doing what you want to do.”
So, in 2018, after a 16-and-a-half-year hiatus, Ruth jumped back into the world of finance with both feet.
“What attracted me to Lloyds was how much they do to support you on your journey”
Ruth says, “Going back into a corporate environment after all those years was daunting. But I was also very excited about it. For the interview, we had to come up with a new product for Lloyds and do a presentation. When I went back into the city for it, I sort of felt at home.
“If I’m really honest, I didn’t think I was going to get it, so there was no pressure. I thought they were never going to want little old me. But they did!”
As you might expect, after being out of the industry for a decade and a half, Ruth had some concerns about returning to an office environment – for example, how she’d catch up with the technological changes. But her worries were soon put to rest.
She says, “What attracted me to Lloyds was how much they do to support you on your journey. It wasn’t a case of: you’re in the job and off you go. There were events like lunches and training sessions, and help was always available.
“We had someone come in to talk to us about LinkedIn, and we had PowerPoint and Excel sessions. Lloyds also has loads of training that you can do online. They encouraged us to look things up and take time out of the working day to make sure we were upskilling in the way we needed to.”
Since joining the programme, Ruth has even become an active member of the returners community at Lloyds…
“It’s been running for eight years, and there’s a whole community going on that we’re all involved with. It’s lovely because we’re meeting returners from other cohorts. I didn’t realise someone I was already working with was also a returner! So, really, what we’re doing now is supporting other returners.”
“The beauty of returners is they aren’t ticking off the days; they’re starting again”
Since joining Lloyds in 2018, Ruth has been promoted from Lead Project Manager to Senior Business Support Manager and now heads up a team of eight people.
Ruth explains, “We’re working on a large change programme at the moment, and my team’s role is to work with stakeholders to guide the teams through the governance requirements. We keep people on their toes and make sure that things are being done as they should be. I really enjoy it!
“After we’d all been working for six weeks or so, the returners had to go back and do another training session. We had to take something that represented how we felt – and I took a load of party poppers because I just thought it was great!
“It was something new and different. I like learning new things and proved that by retraining.”
But returning to the world of finance didn’t mean learning an entirely new skill set. As well as the expertise Ruth retained from her time as a Eurobond dealer, there were plenty of skills that she learned and fostered as a teacher that applied to her new role…
“I’m probably one of the people who’s been out of the industry for the longest. But the thing about returners is, having done other jobs, you have all these transferable skills. Communication, listening, and patience are all skills I developed as a teacher.
“Also, the beauty of returners is they aren’t ticking off the days; they’re starting again. They have a renewed enthusiasm, interest, and willingness to learn – which you’ll need because you’ll have lots to learn. You also need to be able to ask for help.”
“I think later life is all about having experiences – and that’s what this job allows me to do”
Ruth’s go-getter attitude, curiosity, and willingness to try new things are obvious not only in her career but also in her personal life. For example, five years ago, around the time she started with Lloyds, she gained her full motorcycle license.
“When I was married, I used to keep horses at home,” she explains. “And not having them anymore was a big loss for me. So, in a way, that was why I got my bike licence – and it empowered me. You can do anything you like as long as you put your mind to it. So now I ride that and do a bit of offroading sometimes.
“I had one of the best weekends of my life in March. I went to something called ‘Kitchen on the Edge of the World’ in the Lofoten Islands. It’s right up in the Arctic Circle; there were 20 people, and Rick Stein was the guest chef who cooked for us. It was just brilliant. We went cod fishing, walking, and printmaking – and I met loads of adventurous people.
“I think later life is all about having experiences – and that’s what this job allows me to do.”
Final thoughts…
Currently living in Ipswich with her children, Ruth works from home three days a week and commutes into the city on the other two.
“In the future, maybe I’ll think about moving closer to London. But my son, Charlie, still has another three years at uni in America, where he’s on a rugby scholarship. So I won’t be going anywhere for a while. But, when it comes to work, I have no intention of leaving Lloyds at all. There are so many opportunities here.
“As I learn and develop, there are endless possibilities. And that’s what I want to do: keep learning, get better at what I’m doing and, hopefully, help others do the same.”
As for anyone thinking about applying for a role through the Lloyds Banking Group returners scheme, Ruth has this to say…
“Just go for it! If you have the right attitude, faith in yourself, and are willing to get stuck in, you can learn anything. It gives you a sense of purpose. Say your kids have left home, and you think, ‘Oh, my job’s done.’ It’s not because you can go out and get a whole new career!”
If you’ve had a career break of 18 months or longer, and you’re looking to re-enter the corporate world, you can find out more about the Lloyds Banking Group Returners programme here or search for roles using the buttons below.
Have you returned to a career you thought you’d left behind? Or are you considering it? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!